Meat businesses urged to take part in gender equality study

Meat businesses in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US are being asked to contribute to a global study that will create robust data on women in the meat industry for the first time and identify strategies for making the sector more inclusive.

Meat Business Women has said that the findings will be published in a new report on gender representation in the meat industry, to be unveiled at World Meat Congress on 12 June 2020.

Laura Ryan, Chair of Meat Business Women, said that the report is the first of its kind to measure gender diversity and career opportunities for women working in meat. “We have long been frustrated by the lack of reliable data on women in the meat industry,” she said. “By taking part in our survey, businesses will help create much-needed clarity on the contribution women make across the supply chain – and, importantly, where action is needed to improve representation. We are calling on everyone in the meat industry to get involved and contribute to this important piece of work, to help make our sector more sustainable and profitable.”

The survey is open to companies from across the supply chain, including meat processors, packers, retailers, wholesalers and independent butchers. 

“For the meat industry to remain successful in a tough market, it needs to attract the best talent and make the most of existing talent within its organisations. By submitting data for our state-of-the-nation report, businesses can play a vital role in identifying ‘glass ceilings’ and ‘broken rungs’, so we can remove barriers to gender equality together and set the meat industry up for long-term success,” Ryan added.